In this third book of the series, Celie and her siblings and friends are whisked away to the mysterious land where the Castle came from. Evil wizards, poisoned lakes, and griffins abound, and Celie has to figure out what the truth is about the Castle's history to find a way to get back home, save the griffins, and heal the Castle.

I didn't like this book quite as much as the others, since there was a lot of confusion about who was lying and who was telling half-truths about the past. It made for a confusing plot, and I couldn't tell who was Arkish and who was Hathelocke, who had control of the Castle first or who first trained griffins.
Also instead of sneaking through secret passageways in the Castle for some whimsical fun, the characters are mostly trekking through forest, starving, and hiding inside a massive crypt/tomb. This book is a little darker than the others.

I did love seeing Celie and her friends rising to the challenge of their adventures, and the magical griffins are just delightful! Each of the characters has their own strengths and weaknesses, and they all rely on one another. I love how they all really respect the talents of the others. Each of them has their own voice, their own personal journey and growth. Excellent writing!

Another wonderful book in this series! I loved the first book so much, and wondered what direction the author would take next, and I was astounded with the magical scope of the story! Castle Glower holds so many secrets and magical enigmas, and I can't wait to read the rest of the books.

In this book, Celie finds a mysterious orange egg that the Castle will let only her see. She hatches the egg, and cares for the newborn creature without letting anyone in the castle know about it. But her brother Bran, the Royal Wizard, finds Celie with her quickly-growing and mischievous pet, and the two have to find a way to protect the magical baby, and somehow protect the Castle from threats as well.

Adventure, and spying, and mysterious secret rooms, labyrinths, and passageways are all in abundance, but the best part of this particular story is the rich history of the Castle and how that history of magical artifacts, maps, and symbols comes into play with the plotting and scheming.

Celie is spunky and fun and intelligent. I love how all the people in the Castle really respect her judgement although she's young, and even the maids will ask her advice, and the lords of the court accept her guidance.

This book ends on a cliffhanger, so I'm going to dive straight into the next book!

Whimsical, wild, and hilarious! Imaginative, original, and wacky! I'm trying to find some good adjectives to describe this book, but none of them do it justice. I have never read anything quite like this! There are just so many things that are thrown together in this story... it defies categorization.

Bluebear recounts his first 13 lives, which range from adventures with the tiny Mini-Pirates to the Babbling Billows (waves who talk), and onward to a pterodactyl, a deceitful Troglotroll, desert nomads, and a professor with seven brains. You never know what insane character or monster is going to pop into the story next! There are a lot of supporting characters, and they are all wacky and weird with their own detailed history and their own quirks and habits.

Bluebear is an endearing and hilarious character. He blunders along, bumping into monsters and natural disasters, and escaping death by an inch. He makes friends easily, and always sees the best in people. Bluebear is a hero that you WANT to follow into an adventure. He's ready to walk along whatever road is in front of him, no matter where it leads.

One of the many things I loved about this book is that it expanded my vocabulary by at least 20 words, all of which I had to look up in the dictionary, and all of which were repeated in the story at least twice each, so that the words became firmly embedded in my memory. I love it when author's use big words again later on, and it sparks your brain!

The only thing that I didn't like was the endless explanations and descriptions of the characters and landscape and political systems, etc.. etc.. etc.. forever and ever into infinity (or what felt like infinity) for 700 pages. It's beautifully inventive and marvelously imaginative though! Taken on its own, each paragraph of description about this richly diverse fantasy world is interesting and delightful. But when it stretches on and on for page after page, with no plot or dialogue, just explanation and description, then I get bored and my brain can't take it all in.
Thankfully, those places were pretty few. Most of the time, we get back to some action fairly quickly.

I can't wait to read more from this author!

This is the story of three unlikely children living in a big city, where they find adventure, mystery, and even a little bit of magic. These children start their stories alone, but each meet the others along the way and learn to trust and rely on one another.

Guiseppe is a street musician, who finds a magical green violin. Frederick is an apprentice clockmaker and an orphan, who is determined to create a marvelous automaton. Hannah is a poor maid with an ailing father, who is desperate to get money for her family.
On the surface their problems seem simple, but the deeper the story goes, the more complex their difficulties become.

I love that Guiseppe, Frederick, and Hannah each have their own past, something they are hiding, something they fear, and something they wish for. They make terrible law-breaking mistakes that cost them a great deal, but they are so desperately striving for their own little corner of happiness that they will give anything, bear anything, to get it.
Those three characters have so much depth to them, and they are all hurting on some level. The emotional connections really drew me in!

At first I thought this would be a fairly straight-forward story, but then the plot took all these twists and turns! I had no idea what awful or amazing thing would happen next!

There are many wonderful supporting characters, all diverse and interesting, each with their own voice, and an important role to play in the story. Just brilliant writing!

A perfect conclusion to this wonderful series! Enola is once again on the case, this time tracking down the missing Duquessa, while avoiding her brothers Sherlock and Mycroft. All those mysteries that have been niggling at me for the entire series are finally resolved. Why did Enola's mother run away with gypsies? How will Enola repair her relationship with her brothers without losing her freedom?

I was very glad to see more of Sherlock in this book, especially since the dialogue between him and Enola is priceless!
Enola is spunky and serious-minded and brave. She's so resourceful and imaginative! I just love her character. She has a no-nonsense attitude, a kind compassionate heart, and an extra helping of independent spirit.

The plot in this one had me guessing and wondering, and I was amazed by the conclusions to each mystery. I just wish there were more books to this series! I'll have to reread them sometime to enjoy them all again!

I adore this series, but this book wasn't my favorite one. The plot is a little too predictable, although that didn't stop me from finishing the entire book in one sitting because it was impossible to put down!
Somehow, even though I can immediately guess what is going to happen, and I already have the mystery figured out miles ahead of the heroine, I STILL am completely engaged in the story. It must be the excellent writing style that makes up for the predictable plot. Or maybe it's because of Enola's character. I adore Enola!

There is nothing like Boston's writing! She can take a simple story, and make it full of action and meaning. She can introduce a single character, and immediately you are completely invested in this person's world.

In this book, the magical stories of Green Knowe are told from the perspective of Roger d'Oldknow, whose father is building the new manor house of Green Knowe in the times of the Normans and Saxons. Roger is worried that the house he loves won't last or stand the test of time, but when he is whisked into the future, he sees the house in all its beauty and his descendants living there in peace.

Roger is a spirited and energetic person, with an eye for glory in even the small but important things. He truly cares about Green Knowe, and wants to see it prosper. I loved how protective he is of his family and how he feels responsible for everyone on his land.
He's also a lonely person, so when he discovers the other children in different times, he is so delighted to have people to relate to and have adventures with. And as the reader, I felt all this right along with him. I was that lonely person delighted to find companionship! I was the young person looking for some fun and adventure and wondering what the future would hold. The writing draws you in so entirely!

It was interesting to visit Tolly and Linnet and Alexander and everyone from the other side of time, since we've already heard their stories in the previous books. What a rich history that house has! You can really feel the centuries of time stretched out before you in this book. Brilliant writing!

In this story, a gorilla escapes from the zoo and hides in the thicket behind Green Knowe, where Ping befriends and hides him.

This is not my favorite of the Green Knowe books, because I'm very "meh" about monkey stories, especially when monkeys are constantly being compared to men. Monkeys, gorillas, or any other primate are NOT like men. Seriously? They are animals. They work on instinct. That's pretty much it. Are they interesting and majestic? Yes, sure! But it gets so annoying after the first 100 pages to constantly hear how the gorilla's expression was just SO human. bleh.

But of course, I adore the old house of Green Knowe, and the delightful grandmother Mrs. Oldknow, and the enigmatic Ping!
I loved that Ping was the main character for this story. He's such a shining character, and he has a beautiful soul with deep and open thoughts. There's so much to explore in his character, so I'm glad he has his own story to bring out more of his personality and everything.

And naturally, the writing is so incredible that I can feel just what Ping is feeling. There's a spell of words woven around the Green Knowe stories that is really something special and true. I feel that I know that old house. I have lived there and slept there and playing in that garden. I've been swimming in the river, and come in for a late tea with Mrs. Oldknow.
I love this series so much!

I adore this book! The first book in this trilogy was fantastic and I had high expectations for this one too, and I was not disappointed. I love the old-fashioned fairytale style!
At first, I was wondering, "Where are Sophie and Howl? I want Sophie and Howl." but they came into the story just perfectly later on, and I was so pleased.

This book follows the magical adventures of Abdullah, who is a carpet merchant. When he buys a magic carpet and falls in love with the Sultan's daughter, you think you're in for an Aladdin retelling, but the story is so much more than that. Abdullah travels north to Ingary, where the first book was set, and meets a magical cat, an irate genie, power-hungry djinns, an old soldier who is not who he seems to be, wizards, witches, and an alarming amount of princesses.

There are so many twists and turns in the plot that I was gasping over something wild in every chapter. I especially loved all the revealing of mysteries at the end! No one is quite who they seem to be, and I was surprised by all the revelations and resolutions in the last chapters.

I love that Abdullah is a day-dreamer. He spins all these fantasies in his head, but when they start coming true, he doesn't know if he's dreaming or awake or just going insane! He is deliciously humble and polite, and I love how he appreciates other people. He really sees the good in others, and praises them for it. But he also sees the bad, and sarcastically addresses that too.

Flower-in-the-Night is such a needed character in this book, because she's intelligent and take-charge, but also sweet and innocent. She gets things done, thinks logically, but has a tender heart too. Her boundless curiosity and her willingness to learn are what make her such an effective leader. She commands respect and affection.

I'm so glad that Abdullah, rather than feeling threatened by Flower-in-the-Night's skills, is appreciative of them, and admires her all the more for her strong attitude. Their relationship is so perfect, despite (and maybe because of) their insta-love, fairytale romance.

The fast pace of the story kept me reading quickly to see what wacky, unexpected thing is going to happen next!

I was completely entranced by every word in this book, and read it all in one sitting!
This last book in the trilogy is told from the perspectives of both Gwyn and Nia, the story weaving around them like a mystical dance. Nia's long-lost uncle, Evan, is a soldier recovering from being wounded, and he comes to visit her family. But it soon becomes evident that Evan is being used as a pawn in magical warfare, and Gwyn must find a way to convince Nia that something is wrong with her uncle, and get her help in saving Evan from the evil within.

This story is deliciously haunting, unearthly and weird in the magic of myth and legend that comes to life. Every scene is dripping with suspense and hidden meanings, but there's also humor and brightness that stands out against the dark themes. The writing is absolutely genius!

I didn't think the characters of Nia and Gwyn had much more development to go through. They had already grown so much in the first two books, but wow! I was amazed by the struggles and changes in both of them through this book.
Gwyn is tired of his magic being a burden and a secret that haunts him, and he has to come to grips with that and learn to accept his power.
Nia is struggling to find her place within her family and outside the family. She's growing up and learning how to react within the world. I'm a very character-centered reader, so seeing those two beloved characters developing even further was wonderful.

I would definitely recommend reading this trilogy all in one go, or at least within a few days of each other. It works best as a unified story, although each book stands on its own as well and the stories are told years apart.
I adore this entire trilogy!